They were prepared to let JJ walk the first time his contract was up.
Exactly. Being prepared to let him go does not mean that he will certainly go, just that they will let him find his own value. If he does not get any big offers, he has been a nice player for the Packers so I would like to see him stay.
It's a deep year for WR, so that makes him even more expendable. Last year was a deep year for S though, and the Packers passed.
I do believe the Packers let him go for the simple fact they will want to extend Jordy and Cobb, and probably figure Boykin can give them what JJ gives them for cheaper...and then they can always draft and dev a guy.
All of that makes perfect sense Foo, but what happens if Cobb, Jordy or Boykin gets hurt ? ( and history says one of them will)
I question the developmental guys like Kevin Dorsey or Miles White being ready to contribute on a team with Title aspirations. I think that's where Jones makes sense in the short term, but he and his agent have a longer term deal in mind.
The dance continues...
I sure the Packers are letting Jones test the market. If no one bits on him the Packers will come back with a number they are conformable with little in guaranteed money.
This is also a big year of receivers in the draft, at some Point in this year draft the best value on the Packers board will be a receiver. What would Ted do if that big receiver from Texas is on the board at 21? What if they take 2 receivers in this draft?
Satori:
but what happens if Cobb, Jordy or Boykin gets hurt ?
OK, so you present a strategy of being quite good 4 deep.
The thing I would question is should dollars be spent on having the 4th WR be at a certain quality level supposing doing so is at the expense of lacking more talent at ILB and S?
There is only so much money/talent acquisition, retention to go around.
Why a 4th WR rather than another body at S/ILB? And even DL?
If Finley is out (likely IMO), then I would have to think TT takes a TE in one of the 1st 3 rounds. MM loves his TE's and IIRC when he had his full compliment he was doing plays with 3 or more of them on the field at once.
GB sorely missed Finley's RZ production. An athletic fast 6-5 or taller TE fixes much of that.
The thing I would question is should dollars be spent on having the 4th WR be at a certain quality level supposing doing so is at the expense of lacking more talent at ILB and S?
Totally agree. It's solely an issue of dollars to go around. Even if Jones cost only around $3M, I feel like that money can make a much bigger impact elsewhere.
Its the lying season in the NFL
Friday: Packers will let Raji & Pickett walk !!!!
Monday: Packers still interested in Raji and Pickett !!!
Lather, rinse, repeat....with reporters jumping over one another to be the first to report the latest obfuscation fed to them by needy agents
from the article Packy posted:
"I think 'Pick' has a little bit left," said McCarthy. "This has really been the healthiest he's been. He's done a good job taking care of himself."
I'm sure big bad bob will be writing a story in the near future explaining that Big Grease now weighs 420 lbs...
I wonder if Pickett or Raji have any restaurant food named after them like the "Gilbert Burger"?
The BJ - Bacon and Just more bacon.
Pickett Fence - Strips of lard flattened to look like fence rails, deep fried, then laid on strips of bacon to resemble a fence. Everything is then covered in maple syrup & powdered sugar.
The maple syrup is the stain and the powdered sugar is the snow?
Sure! Somehow I don't think food presentation is of a big concern for these two. 
needy agents is redundant
All of that makes perfect sense Foo, but what happens if Cobb, Jordy or Boykin gets hurt ? ( and history says one of them will)
I question the developmental guys like Kevin Dorsey or Miles White being ready to contribute on a team with Title aspirations. I think that's where Jones makes sense in the short term, but he and his agent have a longer term deal in mind.
The dance continues...
I think so too, Satori.
Although phadreus and ILPF make good points, the strategy you mention is what the Packers have been doing the last couple or so years, and the results have been lacking. In your scenario, once Jordy or Cobb gets hurt, the other gets double-covered, and WR production goes to hell.
The thing I would question is should dollars be spent on having the 4th WR be at a certain quality level supposing doing so is at the expense of lacking more talent at ILB and S?
Totally agree. It's solely an issue of dollars to go around. Even if Jones cost only around $3M, I feel like that money can make a much bigger impact elsewhere.
Not only that, but this draft appears incredibly deep at WR with plenty of quality for the 4th and 5th round even.
I just remembered... James Jones went to high school and college in San Jose, just down the road from Reggie McKenzie's talent-depleted Raiders.
(who happen to be sitting on $ 68 million in tasty cap space and need a legit WR.)
Thanks and good luck James
According to the latest calculations by ESPN's Kevin Seifert based on a projected 2014 salary cap of $132 million, the Packers currently have the sixth-most cap space of anyone in the league, at $34,197,930.
That's a lot of room for Thompson to keep many of their own and still go after some street names. Reading/hearing more and more that the Packers/Thompson have their number for guys like Jones, Pickett, EDS, and Raji and those UFAs will be back with the Packers if the open market is not as rich for them. They want them back, but only at the Ted deal. Even with all that space to spend, I don't expect a significant deviation for Thompson in regards to UFAs. It will still be his price and the guy has to fit the locker-room and the overall cap hierarchy. While it would be nice to add a Byrd or Ward or Delmas they can't do that for much more than the current Burnett deal. 4 x $21mm would be a lot to add on top of Burnett's 5 x $26mm.
With this increased cap $$ there is more money for all teams to spend on FA's so I'd think there will again be a spending frenzy early and Thompson won't be part of it.
10 days until FA.
Interesting piece from agent Jack Bechta, scroll down to the No deals getting done section.
Historically, several high profile extensions get finished up with many others getting 99% agreed upon with more details finished up in the next few days of the week following the Combine. In addition, I personally saw more and more teams staying out of the tampering game.
Staying out of the tampering game? Smells like collusion to me. After the spanking Jerry Jones and Danny Snieder took the owners won't dare turn their backs on the commish.
With this increased cap $$ there is more money for all teams to spend on FA's so I'd think there will again be a spending frenzy early and Thompson won't be part of it.
10 days until FA.
With that much cap space what's the minimum Ted must spend? Isn't it X amount of the cap must be spent on players each year?
That requirement would make me wonder if he throws a bigger offer at someone like Raji he wouldn't have done if not for extra cap space he has to spend.
its a rolling 4 year requirement so that at the end of 2016, if you haven't spent 89 % of the total cap, the excess money goes to the players on the current roster
The example in the NFLPA document is : say the next 4 caps are $100M, $120M, $130M, $150M... total them all up ( $500M) and each team has to spend 89 % of that or $445 million between 2013 and 2016 and again with new numbers between 2017 and 2020. It doesn't really matter on a year- to- year basis, but at the end of 4 seasons there is an accounting.
Bengals and other cheapskates will have to step it up
Right, not worried about Thompson staying above the rolling 89% floor.
P-boi, he already put $8mm per in front of Raji so I doubt BJ gets that again from Thompson.
I also think TT would invest any excess by getting in front of the Jordy or Cobb extension instead of overpaying.
Satori-thank you for the info. Good stuff.
H5-agree. I can't imagine TT will offer Raji anywhere close to 8 mill. I just wondered if with almost 35 mil in cap space if he'd offer him like 5. An amount some may believe is still too high.
Interesting. Was thinking from MM's point of view that Lattimore was valued at ST's:
According to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, it doesn’t appear as if the Packers will give tender restricted free agent Jamari Lattimore:
Lattimore’s agent, Tony Agnone, met with the Packers at the NFL scouting combine last week and said today that the chances of them offering his client the $1.389 million right-of-first-refusal tender appear to be “slim and none.”
However, they want to re-sign him at a cheaper price, at or at least closer to the $645,000 minimum for a player with three accrued seasons.
One view from the cheap seats is that Lattimore is worth the tender that comes off the books after only one year. I’d personally rather see the Packers keep Lattimore at $1.4 million than Brad Jones at $2.5 million.
Of course, releasing Brad Jones would cost $2 million in dead money. It might be worth it if the Packers draft an inside linebacker in the first round or two of the NFL Draft.
The reports I have seen coming from the combine the interest in Raji is soft.
Packerboi, MM really likes Sam Bam. Not sure they are going to draft an ILB out of necessity.
Talked to Chris Banjo's agent, confirmed Banjo signed exclusive-rights offer, one-year deal.
The BJ - Bacon and Just more bacon.
best served super sloppy
The reports I have seen coming from the combine the interest in Raji is soft.
so is his play
nelson will eat up some of that cap with his extension
One view from the cheap seats is that Lattimore is worth the tender that comes off the books after only one year. I’d personally rather see the Packers keep Lattimore at $1.4 million than Brad Jones at $2.5 million.
Of course, releasing Brad Jones would cost $2 million in dead money. It might be worth it if the Packers draft an inside linebacker in the first round or two of the NFL Draft.
Sportrac's Packers link is off and gives the damn queens page when I click to try to verify, but I do believe Brad Jones overall cap #will be 3.9/4 mill this year. Releasing him would bring close to another 2 mill in cap space. He's become my EDS to Henry. Injured often/ average (being generous) at best/ overpaid. HE is the epitome of the 85% of players in this league who, when replaced do to injury or some other reason, there's not much of a difference in quality of play between the starter or the replacement. He is that veteran back up you always want. Now he just needs to be paid like it.
From Spotrac
Brad Jones
| YEAR | BASE | S. BONUS | MISC. | CAP HIT | DEAD |
| 2013 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 500,000 | 2,500,000 | 3,000,000 |
| 2014 | 2,500,000 | 1,000,000 | 425,000 | 3,925,000 | 2,000,000 |
| 2015 | 3,250,000 | 1,000,000 | 425,000 | 4,675,000 | 1,000,000 |
Our old buddy Greg A. Bedard has his top 100 free agents listed on SI. He has each player listed and a "best fit" for a team. Only 1 player is a "best fit" for the Packers and that is John Kuhn. All other Packer free agents are better off somewhere else. And no other free agents would be a "best fit" for the Packers. I guess he thinks the Packers are truly the greatest at draft and develop there is. Or he believes TT really is Tightwad Ted.
WOW, that's great news on Jolly, thanks H5
